Damsel Dead...cause of death??

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by billyboy2, Mar 20, 2010.

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  1. billyboy2

    billyboy2 Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2009
    Messages:
    394
    Location:
    Winnipeg, Canada
    I noticed yesterday the blue damsel i have was acting weird. It was not swimming around very actively just seemed to hover over a fuzzy mushroom. later that day i saw he had finally moved from the hovering position but now was laying on the bottom of the tank and seemed to be breathing heavy and had trouble keeping itself right side up. I just left it alone and it ended up swimming off the bottom and hid in a rock cave. Visually the damsel looked great, no signs of illness.

    this morning my hemits are picking its skeleton clean..... I did a water test because i assumed i had something up with water params but i don't.?!?

    everything looks ideal. temp 77, SG 1.024, ph 8.2, nitrate 0ppm, ammonia 0ppm.

    All my other fish seem happy and acting normal. trying to figure out why it died....
     
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  3. greysoul

    greysoul Stylophora

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2009
    Messages:
    975
    Location:
    Albuquerque
    I chalk those up to "Sudden and Mysterious Death Syndrome"

    Without a microscope and a degree in microbiology there's probably no way to tell for sure.

    Sorry for the loss, but if everyone else is fine and water parameters are good, just hope it was a one time occurrence.

    Make sure everyone is eating, the water is clear and smells fresh, no oen is being overly aggressive towards tankmates, etc.

    it could be anything from parasites/pathogens to starvation to stings from the LTA or corals, to genetics to just about anything.